1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to articles of clothing, and particularly to handwear, such as gloves, mittens, and the like.
2. State of the Art
The gloves used in many sports, such as lacrosse and hockey, wear very quickly on the inside of the fingers and palm, depending upon where the sports equipment used to play the game produces friction and wear. While the outside of the lacrosse and hockey gloves (e.g. the back of the fingers and hand) remain in good condition for an extended period of time, the inside or palm area, typically made from synthetic materials such as synthetic suede and nylon mesh combinations, or leather in the case of hockey gloves, tends to wear very quickly, exposing holes and leaving the player's hand unprotected from the friction of the stick. Players may wear out the palms of relatively expensive lacrosse or hockey gloves in as little as 2 months. Usually made from a combination of synthetic suede and nylon mesh, the palms of many commercially available gloves are not as durable as is generally desirable.
Sports Rule Books state that players with holes in their gloves are deemed to have Illegal Equipment, and they are penalized, which could affect the outcome of the game. In addition, the illegal equipment is not allowed to return to the game unless it has been repaired. The National Federation of State High Schools Association (NFHS) creates the rules for all high school sports. In regards to Lacrosse, the Rule Book states: Palmless or fingerless gloves are illegal, whether bought that way or made that way through play use or by the player. As such, a 3 minute penalty is imposed on a player with illegal gloves, and the player may only return to the game with a legal pair of gloves. This penalty means the team is one man down during that time, which could affect the outcome of the game. If a player does not have a second legal pair of gloves with them, which is entirely possible as the holes may have just occurred in the gloves, (s)he may potentially have to remain out of the game altogether. It is in the interest of the coaches and players to be properly protected, which is why there are rules that govern the safety of gloves in athletic use.
Many associations have similar rules regarding gloves, as they are protective equipment used by players in many sports. NCAA Official Lacrosse Rules include:
Personal Equipment
SECTION 21. a. Protective Equipment. All players shall wear protective gloves, shoes and jerseys. All players except the designated goalkeeper shall wear shoulder pads and arm pads. The designated goalkeeper shall wear protective goalkeeper equipment (see Rule 1-23-c). The altering of equipment is prohibited. All players on a team must wear gloves of the same dominant official team color unless safety reasons require a different color glove to be worn.
Use of Illegal Equipment
SECTION 6. A player may not use equipment that does not conform to specifications. The fingers and/or palms may not be cut out of the gloves by the player or during the manufacturing process, nor may the gloves and shoulder pads be altered in a way that compromises their protective features. Use of illegal equipment other than an illegal crosse is a nonreleasable foul. (See Rule 5-5 for illegal crosse.)
A.R. 11. Before a game, officials should make themselves available to clarify any questions concerning the legality of any equipment. Once the game begins, it is the officials' responsibility to enforce this rule—coaches may not request to have their team's gloves inspected, and officials shall not warn players.
NLL (National League Lacrosse) Official Rules Include:
Rule 33: Protective Equipment/Pads
33.1 REQUIRED EQUIPMENT LIST—All players are required to wear a protective helmet, facemask and chinstrap. Players must wear protective gloves, shoulder/vest pads and rib pads. Failure to conform shall result in removal from the floor. Returning to the floor for the second violation in the game will result in a bench minor delay of game penalty. The offending player serves penalty.
Hockey has Very Similar Rules to Lacrosse. The USA Hockey Rules Include:
Rule 304—Protective Equipment
(a) Each participant is personally responsible to wear protective equipment for all games, warm-ups and practices. Such equipment should include gloves, shin pads, shoulder pads, elbow pads, hip pads or padded hockey pants, protective cup, tendon pads plus all head protective equipment as required by USA Hockey rules. It is recommended that all protective equipment be designed specifically for ice hockey.
Rule 305—Dangerous Equipment
(b) A glove from which all or part of the palm has been removed or cut to permit the use of the bare hand shall be considered illegal equipment. A misconduct penalty shall be imposed on any player wearing such a glove in play. (Note) Players, including goalkeepers, violating this rule shall not be permitted to participate in the game until such equipment has been corrected or removed.
Rule 404—Misconduct Penalties
(a) A “MISCONDUCT” penalty involves the removal of a player, other than a goalkeeper, from the game for a period of 10 minutes . . . .
AAU USA (InLine Hockey Association) Rules State:
Rule 3.05—Dangerous Equipment:
(b) A glove from which all or part of the palm has been removed or cut to permit the use of bare fingers shall be considered illegal equipment. If any player wears such a glove in play, a minor penalty shall be imposed on that player.
It can be seen that various sport activities, which require participants to use protective handwear, have been in existence for many years. Certain handwear is expensive, and not particularly durable. Rules of play often define a certain level of protection that must be provided by handwear used in play of certain games. Even after persistence of such conditions for many years, still handwear does not provide a sufficient level of durability, and is subject to developing one or more hole during play. There is a long-felt, and unsolved, need for a product operable to extend the useful life of such handwear. There is also a long-felt, and unsolved, need for a product that may be used to effect a legal repair of such handwear substantially in real-time, without requiring use of tools, and on (or near) the field of play. It would constitute a significant improvement to provide such a product.